7.29.2011

pow! whiz! bam! animation mini-film festival, august 6

Animation fans! If you're in the Los Angeles area next weekend, Visual Communications invites you to POW! WHIZ! BAM!, an animation mini-film festival featuring short films by local animators, the Los Angeles premiere of Makoto Kobayashi's Ice and a special screening of Trigun: Badlands Rumble.

It's happening Saturday, August 6 at the Tateuchi Democracy Forum at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in Little Tokyo. Here are some more details about the festival, including the full lineup:

VC's first Animation Mini-Film Fest, POW! WHIZ! BAM! is a crackpot bubbling with the colorful characters and fantastical universes only the world of animation could create. Each screening has been hand picked to present a gourmet set-menu: an intimate showcase with local animators; a sci-fi post-apocalyptic lesbian Romeo and Juliet, ICE; and a special screening of the classic Japanese shoot-em-up caper, Trigun: Badlands Rumble.

SHORTS:

OUT ON A LIMB by Daisy Lin
A young bird is isolated from other birds that do not share its interest in searching for dandelions. [multi-media animation]

FATHER AND SISTER by Soyeon Kim
A chance occurrence between a father and a sister leads to a unique case of workplace temptation. [cut-out & 2D computer animation]

THE CAP (Topi) by Arjun Rihan
Inspired by a true historical event in Pakistan, a violent communal riot at the train station separates a young boy, Bir, from his mother. Bir must find his mother before it's too late. [computer-generated animation]

FROG IN THE WELL (Ino Nakano Kawazu) by Ken Ochiai
Under his mother's wishes, Jo, a reclusive young tailor from Tokyo, journeys across Japan, discovering a country full of beauty and culture. Transforming like a frog climbing from a well Jo, opens himself up to a new world. [kinestatic (stop-motion) animation]

WHERE THERE HERE by Soyeon Kim
This kid-friendly workout is a playful visualization of “Hide and Seek” using African pictorial design and tribal music. [sand animation]

AMAZONIA by Sam Chen
In the eat-or-be-eaten world of the Amazon Rainforest, a little tree frog named Bounce is befriended by a blue-bellied tree toad named Biggy. With Biggy's help, Bounce must learn to survive the perils of the jungle. [computer-generated animation]

FEATURES:

ICE by Makoto Kobayashi
An environmental crisis causes every male on earth to die by 2012, dividing the 20,000 surviving women into two groups: the hedonistic fatalists and those who believe science can save them. The two fight an intense battle over 'ICE,' an object said to be the last hope for humans. [cell & computer-generated animation]

TRIGUN: BADLANDS RUMBLE by Satoshi Nishimura
Vash the Stampede, a professional killer with a mysterious past, saves the life of the infamous robber named Gasback, setting off a chain of results with disastrous consequences. Flash forward 20 years, Vash has to deal with the repercussions. [cell & computer-generated animation]

No cosplay. No singing robot concerts. Just lots of cartoons and the people who love them. Should be a fun time. For more information about Pow! Whizz! Bam!, including tickets and all that good stuff, go to the Visual Communications website here and the Facebook event page here.